Method of manufacturing ceramic materials, building elements, and the like, from mud



Patented Mar. 18, 1930 :1 FFEE ARTHUR LOESSIN, OF BERLIN-CHARLOTTENBURG, GERMANY ivrnrnonor MANUFACTURING CERAMIC MATERIALS, BUILDING ELEMENTS, AND THE LIKE, FROM MUD No Drawing. Application filed September 20, 1926, Serial No. 136,?34, and in Germany October 1, 1925.

tal influence of impurities or constituents of normal mud which heretofore made it unsuitable for the manufacture of ceramic materials.

Mud is found in huge quantities on the sea shore, particularly in the estuaries of rivers, and it has already been proposed to use this cheap and abundant material for the manufacture of building elements and other ceramic materials or articles but the attempts failed on account of the presence of the said 29 detrimental impurities or constituents the influence of which is not eliminated by the usual treatment of clay from which ceramic materials and the like are to be made.

In performing my method, 1 separate from the mud about one-half of its percentage of water, knead it in the presence of a salt, for instance, shelf or Glaubers salt, which is added for eliminating the detrimental infiuence of the said impurities or constituents, and sand, which may be added for increasing the hardness and weatherproofness of the finished product but is dispensed with where these properties are not required, mould the mixture, if required, subject it to preliminary burning at about 400 to r de centigrade,

allow it to cool, and finish-burn it at a suitable temperature, say, 980 deg. Centigrade.

While the salt is added in any case, the 40 presence of sand in the mixture is determined by the properties of the finlshed product.

the case of bricks for rear or facing walls, the sand may be dispensed with altogether but it is indispensable for weatherproof articles. For products which combine weatherproofness with hardness, such as clinkers, the

burned in three stages, two preliminary ones 56 at about 400 to 450 deg. centigrade with intermediate cooling, and afinal stage at normal about four months whereupon the water is decanted, leaving the mud as a kneadable substance of about 45 per cent of water. In-

stead of settling and decanting, the mud may be partly dried by centrifugal action.

This mud, with about one-half of its normal percentage of water, is then thoroughly kneaded in kneaders of any suitable type in the presence of shelf or Glaubers salt, to the amount of about two or three per cent of weight The object of the salt is, as mentioned, to counteract the detrimental influence of the bitumen oils in the mud, and-it also increases the hardness of the finished arti cles. Without the salt the bitumen oils would cause the bricks to crack during burning and render them unsuitable for further treatment.

If hardness is a factor, quartz'sand is added to the mixture but where hardness is not ire- ,80 quired as in the case of rearwalls or other articles where the material is not exposed to the weather, sand, as mentioned, may be dispensed with. 7

After kneading, the mixture in which the constituents have now been thoroughly distributed, is ready for moulding by hand or by any suitable moulding machine.

Bricks from a mixture without sand are then burned for one day a ttOO to 450 deg.

t'-v 1 t l If weatherproofness 15 not a factor, as in lgmde a1 ed 0 C00 and then fimsh burned at normal temperature, viz, about 980 deg. centigradeg In this manner, goodclass bricks for rear and facing walls and other articles without weatherproof qualitiesiifls and without particular hardness are "0b- 1 'tained. mixtureto which sand has been addedis "For making weatherproof and hard articles, for instance, clinkers, 10 to 20 per cent L. of quartzsand are added to. the mixture 01 51 0 of the ocean about 980 deg; centigrade. thus obtained are perfectly weatherproof.

, ground and mud and salt (Glaubers salt) and the sand combines with the clays in the mud upon burning. The bricks are then burned at 400 to 450 deg. centigrade, allowed to cool, burned again at the same temperature, allowed-to.- coolagain, and finish-burned at The clinkers lVithout the one or two preliminary burnsuitable bricks or other ing stage, or stages, articles cannot be obtained.

To obtain an excellent paving material the mixture is treated as'described above and subjected to, one preliminary burning operation whereupon it is heated for about one day at about 1300 deg. centigrade, the mud will melt-and black, blow-holed; slag of about 7 to- S-ha-rdness will be obtained from which paving: stones may be moulded. The product of this process may also be will thenyield a white powder which isexcellent for enamelllng 1ron vessels. lVhenheated at a still higher temperature,

say 1350 to 1400 deg. centigrade, and maintained at this temperature for about two days, a deep black and thin-flowing product 7 without blow holesis obtained which is-very suitable for castings of anykind.

Throughout this specification and theappended claims, by the term mud I mean to include only that material which is normally carried by the flowing water but eventually sinks to the bottom of the flowing stream."-

Mud is material which is deposited in great quantities in the blackish water at the shore and the wordhas a definite meaning. Mud is not to be confused with clay'and also is not to be confused with slime,

such as river slime.

Ida-1TH! '1. The method of manufacturing ceramic material-s and articles from mud, comprising mixing the mud with a substance adapted to counteract the detrimental influence of impurities in, or constituents of, the mud and with sand, subjecting the mixture to two preliminary burning stages with intermedi ate cooling, and finish-burning it.

2, The method of manufacturing ceramic materials and articles from mud com-prising mixingthe mud with a substance adapted to counteract the detrimental influence of impurities in, or constituents of, the mud, subjecting themix-ture to prel-iminary burning, and finish-burning it.

; 3. The method of manufacturing ceramic materials-and articles from mud, comprising removing-about one-half of its percentage otwater from: the; mud, kneading the mud in the presence of a substance? adapted to cou-nteract thedetrimental influence ot'irnpurities in, or constituents of the mud, moulding the mixture, subjecting it to preliminary burning,.. alil owing ittoticool, and finish-burning it;

of manufacturing ceramic ing the moulded mixture to apreliminary burning at 400 to 450 0., cooling the burnt mixture andfinally reburning it at a substantially higher temperature. 7

6'. The method as in claim 5 in which the reburning temperature is about 1300 C. I

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ARTHUR, LOESSIN 

